Originally Posted by Lagerfeldt

The Sonnox Inflator applies a shaped and distorted steady state signal. That's how it works.

Distortion can change the perceived loudness of something so it feels louder. It can also make something sound wider.

Once you go above a certain amount of distortion it's not helping you in terms of loudness (though you may like the sound anyway).

It will also change your perception of the frequencies. Maybe you think it sounds "warmer" due to the harmonic changes or maybe you simply think it sounds "harsher" because of the distortion it adds in the vocal or sibilance area.